
Gold rebounds from over one-month low on weaker dollar
KUALA LUMPUR: Gold reversed course and edged higher on Monday, supported by a weaker dollar, after hitting a more than one-month low earlier as easing US-China trade tensions dampened safe-haven demand and bolstered risk appetite.
Spot gold rose 0.30 per cent to US$3,281.65 per ounce, as of 0216 GMT, after hitting its lowest since May 29 earlier in the session.
US gold futures were up 0.20 per cent at US$3,293.30.
"There is less of a 'doom and gloom' outlook surrounding both tariff talks and events in the Middle East, which is relegating gold to play second fiddle to risk assets," KCM Trade Chief Market Analyst Tim Waterer said.
Asian shares firmed, with Wall Street futures advancing, while the US dollar index fell 0.20 per cent. A lower dollar makes greenback-priced bullion less expensive.
The US and China have resolved issues surrounding shipments of rare earth minerals and magnets to the United States, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Friday, adding that the Trump administration's various trade deals with other countries could be done by the September 1 Labor Day holiday.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump abruptly cut off trade talks with Canada on Friday over its tax targeting US technology firms, saying that it was a "blatant attack" and he would set a new tariff rate on Canadian goods within a week.
The Iran-Israel ceasefire after a 12-day conflict also appeared to be holding, further reducing safe-haven demand.
"The dollar remains pressured which is limiting the extent of the slide for gold. However, the US$3,250 level shapes as a key support level for gold. Any breach of this level could see losses accelerate towards the US$3,200 level," Waterer said.
Stable geopolitical and economic conditions often reduce demand for gold as a safe-haven asset, while non-yielding bullion's appeal further wanes in a high-interest-rate environment.
Spot silver was down 0.10 per cent at US$36.02 per ounce, platinum firmed one per cent to US$1,353.13, while palladium was up 0.20 per cent at US$1,135.48.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Japan says it won't sacrifice farm sector after Trump complains about rice
This photo taken on June 4, 2025 shows a farmer preparing a transplanter vehicle before planting rice seedlings at a farm in the town of Sanjo, Niigata prefecture in northern Japan. Japan has been grappling with a doubling in rice prices due partly to a weather-driven poor-quality harvest in 2023 that caused a shortage last year. - AFP TOKYO: Japan will not sacrifice the agricultural sector as part of its tariff negotiations with the United States, its top government spokesperson said on Tuesday (July 1), after President Donald Trump complained that its ally was not importing American rice. Trump wrote in a social media post that Japan's reluctance to import American-grown rice was a sign that countries have become "spoiled with respect to the United States of America." "I have great respect for Japan, they won't take our RICE, and yet they have a massive rice shortage," he wrote on Truth Social. Japan has been grappling with a doubling in rice prices due partly to a weather-driven poor-quality harvest in 2023 that caused a shortage last year. The government has released almost its entire stock of emergency rice since March in an effort to bring prices down. "We are not thinking about doing anything that would sacrifice the farm sector," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a press conference. He, as well as farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi, declined to comment directly on Trump's post. Koizumi told a separate press conference that his ministry would continue to work with various ministries towards maximising Japan's national interests. Under a "minimum access" agreement within the World Trade Organisation, Japan has an 770,000-tonne tariff-free import quota for rice, of which up to 100,000 tonnes is for staple rice. Beyond this, rice imports are subject to a levy of 341 yen (US$2.37) per kilogramme. To continue in its efforts to lower domestic prices, the government had brought forward a tender for the first 30,000 tonnes of tariff-free staple rice imports earmarked for this year earlier than the usual auction in September. Results of that tender, held on June 27, showed applications for 81,853 tonnes, or nearly three times as much as was auctioned. Of the total tendered, 25,541 tonnes was from the US, followed by 1,500 tonnes from Australia and 708 tonnes from Thailand. - Reuters


New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Malaysia gains edge as trade diversifies
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has what it takes to thrive in a volatile global landscape by capitalising on shifting trade flows and supply chain realignments, said DHL Express Malaysia & Brunei. Speaking at the Invest Asean-Malaysia Conference 2025, managing director Julian Neo said multinational corporations (MNCs) are quick to adapt to geopolitical disruptions, and Malaysia is increasingly benefiting from these shifts. "MNCs are agile. When the United States announced new tariffs, one company moved its production from Mexico to Penang within a week," he said. "That speaks volumes about Malaysia's appeal as a reliable and responsive alternative." Neo said the "China Plus X" strategy, where companies diversify production across Asean, is gaining traction, with Malaysia emerging as a major beneficiary. "This shift is fuelling both domestic and foreign direct investments, which are reshaping our economic landscape," he added. Neo noted that 60 per cent of DHL's revenue in Malaysia comes from MNCs, with the remaining 40 per cent driven by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), reflecting a balanced and resilient economy. He emphasised the urgent need for supply chain diversification, citing trends such as near-shoring, re-shoring and friend-shoring. "To stay competitive, we must build resilient supply chains. Malaysia has a critical role to play, and DHL is supporting that with continued investments in artificial intelligence and automation," he said. Neo said technologies adopted during the Covid-19 crisis have helped streamline operations and positioned Malaysia as a key logistics hub in global trade networks. He also highlighted Malaysia's growing ties with emerging markets such as Mexico, Romania and the United Arab Emirates, calling them "important partners for the next wave of trade expansion." "To fully realise the benefits, we must pursue new free trade agreements and deepen engagement with these markets," he said. While MNCs are actively repositioning themselves, Neo voiced concern over local SMEs, many of whom remain hesitant. "Some SMEs are still taking a 'wait and see' approach. But now is the time to act. Use available data to identify trends, work with government agencies, and diversify to reduce over-reliance," he said. Despite the global uncertainties, Neo struck an optimistic tone. Citing DHL's Trade Atlas, he projected global trade to grow by 3.1 per cent between 2024 and 2029. "Even the US-China tensions, which only account for 2.6 per cent of global trade, are not enough to derail momentum," he said. "Global trade is too big to fail and Malaysia has all the right ingredients to succeed within this resilient ecosystem."

Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
US shifts to limited trade deals ahead of Trump's looming tariff deadline, FT reports
WASHINGTON, July 1 — Top US trade officials are now seeking narrower agreements with other countries to secure deals before President Donald Trump's July 9 tariff deadline, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the talks. Countries that agree on narrower deals would be spared the harsher reciprocal tariffs, but left with an existing 10 per cent levy while talks on thornier issues continue, the FT said. Trump's reciprocal tariffs are set to kick in on July 9, after a 90-day pause. With only a limited deal with Britain completed so far, Trump has repeatedly threatened just to send a series of letters to trading partners identifying what their new tariff rate will be after the deadline. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said the risk of tariffs going up next week is real. The FT added that the Trump administration would seek 'agreements in principle' on a small number of trade disputes ahead of the deadline, and that the administration was also still considering imposing additional tariffs on critical sectors. Trump has said his July 9 trade deadline was not a fixed date, telling reporters last week at the White House that it could be sooner or later than that date, when wider US tariffs are set to be re-imposed if deals are not reached. The White House and the US Commerce Department did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Reuters could not immediately verify the FT report. — Reuters